


You're My Best Friend

by MarvellKya17



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Tim Jensen Does Not Come Back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 19:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20314936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvellKya17/pseuds/MarvellKya17
Summary: When Ben and co save Emily, someone else comes back too. Ben tries to deal with the myriad emotions that come with the immediate aftermath.Obviously this was inspired by Ep. 44, and there are some places where I follow the canon storyline very closely and others where I veer away a little bit because artistic freedom.





	You're My Best Friend

Ben takes a few deep breaths, trying his best to slow down his hammering heart rate. Everything was ready. Troy is here, Mary is here - hell, half the damn town is here. Not Frickard, Ben thinks somewhat smugly. Then, he mentally kicks himself. Tonight isn’t about him and Greg Frickard; it’s just about Emily and bringing her home safely.   
“Ben, are you ready to flick these on, or what?” Mary asks gruffly, hovering over the rainbow light projectors. Ben is suddenly reminded of the reason he loves these people so much. No one wants to admit it, but they’re all risking their lives tonight - all for Emily. “Yeah,” he calls back. “I think we’re ready.”  
Mary nods, and a moment later the sky is illuminated by a rainbow spotlight. Ben shouts to Mr. Thompson to start powering up the transmogrifier. They’ve practiced this so many times, so even though Ben is beyond nervous, his muscle memory kicks in, and his mind switches to autopilot. He directs the rest of the participants to retreat to the Libbydale farmhouse. He catches Pete out of the corner of his eye sprinting to his car. Surprisingly, Ben can’t even imagine running away now. He’s worked too hard, spent too many hours buried in his notebook, and tonight is the night. Rapidly, the population in the field dwindles to just him, Troy, and Mr. Thompson. Ben whips out his phone and dials the hotline number.   
“He’s not answering,” Ben tells Troy, already redialing the number. He tries three more times, then tries Sammy’s cell number. “Damn it, Sammy!” He’s panicked now; the transmogrifier is at 80% and climbing.   
“It’s alright, little buddy,” Troy speaks calmly, but Ben isn’t reassured. “You don’t understand - the whole reason I didn’t tell him was so he would be on air and recording this moment! Answer the phone, man!” Just then, Ben hears it - a noise he will never forget for as long as he lives. He looks up at the sky, just above the horizon, to see a triangular UFO with a rainbow aura. Ben’s eyes widen before he frantically dials the hotline number once again.  
This time, the line picks up, and Ben relaxes the slightest bit. “Dude, what is up? I’ve been calling you for, like, ten minutes now. Why weren’t you picking up?”  
Sammy sounds a bit uneasy, but the connection is getting worse as the UFO speeds towards them. Mr. Thompson announces that the transmogrifier is at 98%. Ben’s senses are going into overload. For a moment, he squeezes his eyes shut, focusing in on the most important thing right now. That UFO has Emily. She’s what matters most. She’s the only thing that matters.  
Ben opens his eyes.   
“Sammy, it’s time. I’ll try to stay on the phone, but I don’t know if the line will get cut or what.”  
“I get it,” replies Sammy grimly. “Just… are you sure about this?”  
“I’m sure that this has to happen, and it has to happen now.” Ben takes the silence on the other end to mean that Sammy won’t argue with him. “But I don’t know if it’s going to work- and if it doesn’t… I want you to know that I love you. You’re the brother I never had, Sammy.”  
“Ben…” Sammy starts, but Mr. Thompson interrupts him with an update on the UFO. It’s getting away. Troy confirms the situation. Ben curses; if they missed their chance…   
“Mr. Thompson!” he yells. “Shoot it down, now!”   
He obliges, and the UFO is enveloped in a blinding light before plummeting to the field below. Ben and Troy take off running. Sammy is still on the phone, shouting something, but all Ben can hear right now is his own blood pumping, his and Troy’s feet slapping the ground. The flying object is on fire, and Troy rips off his jacket to smother it. When the fire is out, they search for any sign of life. Finally, Ben spots the autumn red of Emily’s hair, and together, he and Troy lift her out of the wreckage of the UFO. Ben is screaming and crying as Troy performs CPR on the non-responsive woman lying on the ground. All of a sudden, Emily sits up, coughing. “Where… where am I?” she asks, confused. Her eyes focus on Troy. “Troy? Is that you? What happened?”   
“Emily,” Troy says slowly. “You’ve… been in an accident. Let’s get you back home to your mother, for now.” Emily swallows dryly and nods. She turns now to look at Ben, who’s staring at her in disbelief. “It’s you,” he whispers. “You’re really back.”   
Before she can say anything, Ben pulls her into a hug. He feels her tense then gingerly wrap her arms around him. “I don’t quite understand…” Ben breaks away. “Don’t worry, Emily. All that matters is that you’re safe now.” He beams at her. She gives him a small smile. As Ben smiles at her, he can’t help his smile slipping. “Emily?” he ventures. “You do know who I am… right?” Even as he asks the question, he can see in her eyes that she has no idea. That she doesn’t remember any of their history. All the times he’d stopped by the library to say hi. All the times they’d stayed up late, just talking. Nothing. He looks at Troy, helplessly. Troy looks back for a few seconds but breaks eye contact to address Emily again. “Come on, Emily. Let’s… let’s get you home.” Emily stares at Ben a moment longer, clearly trying - and failing - to place him into a framework that fits her version of reality; then, she lets Troy help her up and lead her to his squad car. Ben stays where he is, on the dirt ground, feeling emptier than he has in months. Emily is back. They’ve won. But how can she not remember him? That hurts more than if she hadn’t come back at all. Ben knows he’s being selfish, but the pain - a sharp, undulating pain - blocks out all other thought. He hears a noise from somewhere in the distant, and realizes that Sammy is still on the line. He picks up the phone to hear Sammy yelling for him to say something, anything.  
“-going on there?! Ben, answer me! Is Emily ok? I heard most of the conversation, but it doesn’t make any sense.”  
“I’m fine, Sammy,” Ben lies. Sammy stops, as if waiting for an elaboration.   
“Well, don’t just leave me hanging! Did that really just happen?”   
Ben doesn’t answer because he’s heard something from the wreckage. He turns to see a man trying to crawl out of the UFO. His hair is clearly golden blonde, but debris has darkened the color so it’s almost gray. Ben drops the phone and scrambles over to help him. Once he’s free, the man lays, panting. He tries to speak, but his voice is barely a whisper. He coughs and tries again. “Please… help me.”  
Ben nods and grabs his phone. “Sammy, I need you to call the sheriff. There’s another person here.”  
The man jerks his head towards Ben, his eyes wide. “Did you say… Sammy? Sammy Stevens? He’s here?”  
Ben frowns. “Yeah… how do you know Sammy?” He turns back to the phone. “Sammy, this guy says he knows you? I know you can’t see him, but do you have any idea who this is?”   
On the other end of the line, Sammy has fallen silent. Ben is worried that he hung up on accident, but the line is still open. “Sammy?”   
The man pushes himself up onto his elbows. “Please… if Sammy is here, I have to talk to him. I have to… to tell him...I’m sorry.”   
Utterly confused, Ben stares at this man who claims to know his best friend, who needs to apologize to him for something. “Who are you?” He knows the question might be a little rude, especially for someone who has clearly been through a major ordeal. But he can’t help it. Sammy isn’t offering him any answers, so he’s settling for the next best thing.   
The man coughs again. “My name is… Jack… Wright.”  
That’s when Ben hears the silence break as Sammy breaks down in tears.

Ben and Troy rush Emily and Jack Wright to the hospital. Sammy agrees to meet them at the hospital. Ben’s driving behind Troy’s squad car. His mind is spinning, trying to comprehend the implications of the night’s events. He recalls that Jack is Lily Wright’s brother who went missing a few years ago. Clearly, Lily and Sammy has some history, so it wasn’t totally inconceivable that Sammy and Jack would know each other. But Ben was not willing to accept that Sammy simply knew Jack Wright as his frenemy’s little brother. With a jolt, Ben realizes that this was the first time he’s ever heard Sammy cry. He’s so in his head about all of this that when Troy knocks on his window, he looks around to find that somehow, he’s driven to the hospital and parked (quite well, actually.) “C’mon, Ben!” Troy shout through the glass. Ben nods and stumbles out of the car. When he sees Emily standing there, he feels a sob of his own forming in his throat. Simultaneously, he feels the absurd urge to laugh - in the face of the universe and this sick joke. He can’t help but stare as a flurry of emergency personnel whisk away the returnees. Numbly, he follows Troy into the hospital, sinking into a plastic waiting room chair. He feels like he inhales for the first time since arriving when someone shakes his shoulder roughly.  
He looks up to see Sammy, man-bun thrown messily together.   
“Troy filled me in,” He says.  
Ben nods. He is so grateful that he won’t have to talk about it any more at the moment. He barely gets to his feet before he collapses into Sammy, sobbing, all the emotions he’s buried - not even just from that day, but way back from when he first started his notebook. All the late nights he mentally slapped himself, told himself to get a grip because this was for Emily. And now, she didn’t even remember him. He doesn’t want to burden Sammy with his pain, but he simply can’t hold it in any longer.   
Ben isn’t quite sure how long they stand there, Sammy silently rubbing soothing circles into his back. He’s pretty sure it’s too long, but he really doesn’t care. He’s finding it troublingly difficult to care about anything. When he finally pulls away from Sammy, his best friend’s face is grim.   
“Hey, dude, I’m sorry,” Ben says quickly, wiping his eyes in what he hopes is a masculine way. “No, it’s not that,” Sammy assures him. “It’s just… I have something I need to tell you.”  
Ben swallowed and nodded. Sammy sighed. “You know I don’t like to talk about my past. When I moved to King Falls, I wanted a fresh start. But really I was just scared. I didn’t know how to tell you, but I wanted to, Ben, I really did. I was always planning on it, there was just never a good time- “  
“Sammy. Whatever you need to tell me, please, just tell me. If you’re worried I’ll think less of you or something crazy like that, don’t. You’re my brother, and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” Ben smiles, as painful as it was for him to do so. Sammy didn’t smile back, but he nodded back. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s just… I haven’t talked about this in so long.” Ben waits as Sammy takes a couple deep breaths. “Jack and I-”  
“Ben? Sammy? The nurse says our friends are up to seeing visitors now,” Troy interrupts. Ben glances at Sammy. “It’s ok, man. Whatever it is can wait.” Sammy nods. Inwardly, Ben is incredibly frustrated. He’s more confused than ever - and angry, and guilty for feeling angry. He projects his thoughts back to Emily. He could at least make sure she was alright. He could still be her friend, even if she didn’t realize it. The universe was going to have to try a little harder.   
The three men walked down the hospital hallway escorted by the same nurse to whom Troy had been talking. Finally, they stop; the nurse indicates two rooms adjacent. “Ms. Potter will be staying here,” she explains, gesturing to the room closest to them. “And Mr. Wright will be right next door.” Troy thanks her and turns to Ben. “Are you sure you want to go in there, buddy?”  
“Of course I do. It’s Emily,” Ben retorts, more defensively than he wanted. “I know,” agreed Troy. “I just thought, maybe…” He trails off. Sammy puts a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll all go in.”  
It’s still night; without checking his phone, Ben would guess around 4 am. The fluorescent lights clash with Emily’s red hair, making her look washed-out, ghostly. She’s lost in thought but smiles at the three men as they enter the room. “Hi, Troy,” she says, and Ben feels an insane pang of jealousy. Troy nods in acknowledgment. “We wanted to come see how you were feeling.”   
“A little better, I guess. I still don’t remember anything about the accident,” Emily admits. She looks at Ben, and he forces himself to make eye contact. “Thank you again for helping me with- well, with whatever happened. I, um.. I didn’t get your name earlier,” she adds sheepishly. It takes every ounce of self-control for Ben to keep his face neutral. “It’s Ben. Ben Arnold.”   
“Ben,” she repeats. “Thank you… Ben.”  
The silence feels like it’s choking him. Before he can excuse himself, Sammy interjects. “I’m Sammy Stevens. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Potter.”  
The formality of the introduction is reminiscent of their before interactions - when Emily was just another guest on the show, before they had become friends. But they were friends. Close friends. Ben felt closer to Emily than anyone. But she didn't even know him. And that was wrong. That’s the best way Ben can think of to describe this whole situation.  
Wrong  
Wrongwrongwrong  
“Sammy Stevens? I think that man who came in with me - I guess we were in the same accident, although I don’t know him - was asking about you.”  
Sammy blinks up at the ceiling; Ben presumes it’s to keep from crying again. What is going on? Ben wonders with mounting frustration. He can see plainly that his best friend is hurting. Emily obviously underwent massive trauma - something Earth doctors might not even understand let alone be able to treat. And he can do absolutely nothing.   
Sammy whispers a thank you to Emily before turning and exiting the room.   
“I should… I should go after him,” Ben mumbles to Troy, who pats him on the shoulder encouragingly. He looks at Emily. “I’ll be back, in just going to-“  
“Don’t worry about me, I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “Go, be with your friend.”  
Ben doesn’t respond. He doesn’t think he can. Eventually, he chokes out: “I’ll be back, Emily.” It sounds strained and not at all indicative of their relationship. He tries not to dwell on the flash of confused hurt that crosses Emily’s face.   
When he’s outside the room, he closes his eyes and leans against the wall. He deliberately inhales and exhales but his heart continues to race. He just wants to slide down onto the floor and never get up again. He almost does, but the sound of soft laughter emanating from the adjacent room. Ben peers inside and feels a myriad of feelings all at once. Firstly, Jack-in-the-Box-Jesus-I’m-such-an-idiot. Ben doesn’t know the scientific name for that emotion but it’s definitely what he felt. There was that guy, Jack Wright, lying in a hospital bed, grinning gleefully despite his condition; there was his best friend, Sammy Stevens, holding Jack’s hand, smiling that affectionate-yet-exasperated Dad smile, but his eyes radiated more love than he’d felt from anyone (let alone Sammy). Except from himself, for Emily.   
Sammy has his own personal Emily.  
Secondly, Ben feels overwhelmingly guilty. How could he have missed this? Sammy, his best friend, was suffering for who knows how long - certainly as long as they’d known each other.   
Which leads him to his third and final emotion: anger. And, like final things, this is the one that overpowers the other two.   
How could Sammy, his best friend, keep something this big from him? What does that say about their relationship? Ben stares at Sammy; he knows he should be overjoyed for his best friend and co-host, yet instead he just feels betrayed. Finally, Jack catches his eye and points to him. Sammy turns around and, seeing Ben’s likely-telling expression, nods and turns back to Jack for a moment. Ben can’t hear what is said, but Jack is still smiling as Sammy crosses the room. Jack’s smile irks Ben. It reminds him of the conspiratorial smirks fellow parents share when one has to deal with his/her child.   
“Let’s talk outside,” Sammy says, already walking past Ben. He stops about ten feet from Jack’s room in front of a pair of plastic chairs. “How about we sit, and I’ll-“  
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Ben interrupts. Sammy blinks, surprised at Ben’s tone. “I was always planning to. There just never seemed to be a good time.”  
“That’s a pathetic excuse, and you know it,” Ben dismisses.   
“You wouldn’t have understood,” Sammy murmurs lamely.   
“Yeah, maybe when we first met. But it’s been, what, two years? Two years, Sammy. You couldn’t find one moment in all that time to clue me in? I told you that I love you tonight, that you’re my brother, and I meant that. You’re my best friend, Sammy! Why would you want to keep this from me?”  
“You are my best friend, Ben,” Sammy protests, defensiveness creeping into his voice. “You don’t get it. What happened with Jack and me is way bigger than us, way bigger than King Falls-“  
“What about when Emily was abducted? Ben cuts him off. “You knew that I loved her - love her - and that I was hurting. Why didn’t you just talk to me? Was our friendship that meaningless to you?”  
“That is not fair,” snaps Sammy. Ben crosses his arms and glares at Sammy, silently demanding an explanation. Sighing, Sammy delivers.   
“I couldn’t talk to you because I was ashamed, okay? I was ashamed and afraid, so afraid that I couldn’t bring myself to tell my best friend that my fiancé was getting creepy ass calls from unknown numbers. That he was listening to those callers and following through with their claims, doing research of his own. That said research led him to discover this small, random town called King Falls. That, one morning, he just disappeared. And I followed him here, made a semblance of a life here, but my life was never going to be complete again without Jack Wright in it. And when my best friend lost the woman he loves, I knew that I couldn’t burden him with my own issues. So I kept it to myself. But don’t you dare think that our friendship didn’t mean anything to me. Because it has meant everything to me these past two years. Ben, there’s no way you could know this, but…” Sammy stops for a few seconds, as of trying to organize his thoughts before continuing. “You were the one thing that had meaning in a life that had no meaning any longer. Not when he wasn’t in it.”   
At this point, Sammy sinks into one of the chairs and drops his head into his hands. Ben stares at him, dumbstruck. “That’s… not what I expected,” he manages.   
Sammy croaks out a laugh. “Well, you asked for it.”   
Ben sits gingerly beside him. “Sammy… I’m really sorry. I had no idea what you were going through all this time.”  
Sammy shoots him a pained smile. “I know. And I’m sorry too. It’s on me for being too much of a coward to tell you the truth.”   
“I could’ve helped, Sammy, I could’ve… done something. Even with all the work I was doing to bring Emily home, you still didn’t come to me?”  
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I knew you were going to do anything and everything to bring Emily home, and I couldn’t set you on the same path for Jack’s sake. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if… if you got hurt because of it. Because of me.”  
“Dude!” Ben explodes, rising from his seat. He’s shushed by a nurse, so he sits back down and continues in a whisper. “I just don’t understand how you could’ve kept this to yourself for long? Wait, did you tell anyone else?” Ben can’t help the jealous whine in his voice.   
“Trust me, Ben, if I was going to tell anyone, it would absolutely be you.” He pauses. “Well… I did tell Merv.”  
Ben’s about to explode again, so Sammy adds quickly, “It was before we even met! And I didn’t tell him everything. Just that my fiancé used to talk about this place. Before he went missing.” Sammy’s gaze trails back to Jack’s room.   
Ben debates how he can possibly respond. Hindsight tells him that it wasn’t fair to accost Sammy with ridiculous accusations - questioning Sammy’s commitment to their friendship even though they both know Ben’s kept his share of his secrets. “Can I meet him?” Ben suddenly asks. “Jack?”  
Sammy looks back at Ben, just the slightest bit astonished at this new approach. Then, he nods. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”


End file.
